Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch out Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, And Your right hand will save me.
Psalms 138:7
A thought comes to mind when I think about those circumstances in my life that don't seem to change: It seems like God progressively, gently and sometimes, so quickly it almost seems violent, pulls the rug out from under us, takes away the weak and feeble crutches that we have depended on to get us through life.
It almost seems like we are being slowly backed into a tiny corner where there is no room for anyone else apart from Him, while the storm rages on all around us.
It may seem like we are all alone, mourning the loss or lack of our 'security blankets' on our way to the corner. Of course we still hold on, with grubby hands, to those 'blankets', some that He has not removed from our tight fists. (And He won't. Not without our consent. He is a gentleman, after all.) We look around us at the raging winds and waves and cry out for help, help to get back what seems so precious to us, what we thought was so necessary, but deep down we probably know we need to let go of.
But He knows that all we ever really needed was Him. All we ever needed to do was take the Hand that was always outstretched to us and see His deliverance.
The only problem is we can't see that Hand, when our eyes are filled with the glittering gold of the world around us, counterfeit that loses its shine as soon as it is touched and beckons us to try harder to keep it shiny and inviting.
Some of us can see His Hand. But as we cling desperately to the vapid promises of idols, about what they can do for our worth and happiness and satisfaction, we are stuffed full of empty dreams and pursuits, that blind us to the true value of the riches and pleasures that are at His right Hand forevermore (Psalm 16:11).
And we are kept from taking that Hand, in false hope, waiting for a fulfillment that will never come from the idols we worship and offer sacrifices to in vain (Ps 66:10-12).
We can't trust Him with our hearts, to fulfill our deepest desires and longings because we can't believe that He is all we need, that He is the real deal.
And how could we, with all the varied counterfeit we have consumed? With all the fleeting promises the world and sin make, that have kept us coming back, in the vain hope of freedom and fulfillment, to the desecrated altars, offering innumerable unholy sacrifices, time and again, until we are ravaged and almost left for dead.
So we come back to the question: why doesn't He change my circumstances? He can make it all go away, in an instant. Because only when backed into a corner, just Him and me, no room for anyone or anything else, do I see, by the faith He gifts me, that He is all I need.
That all I've ever needed was Him.
He is the Reward I've been longing for.
The Treasure I've been seeking.
And if I have Him, I have everything.
Lord, give us the eyes of faith to see You in our darkest, neediest times and help us let go of all the things we hold onto, to reach out and grasp in faith, the Hand of mercy and grace that you extend toward us in love, so that we may see how worthy You really are.
So we may see You for the Treasure You really are.
S. D.